What Trump Promised
As a 2016 candidate, Donald Trump made huge promises to Wisconsin families, claiming that he’d work for them rather than wealthy donors and corporate interests.
He promised to lower drug prices and give Wisconsinites great health care, including protecting people with pre-existing conditions. He claimed he’d increase wages.
Here’s the Reality
He’s siding with insurance companies to end protections for people with pre-existing conditions, backing a lawsuit to repeal them and promising full repeal after the next election. He’s siding with drug companies as drug prices soar. And he passed a tax bill that gave almost all the benefits to the wealthy and big corporations, that rewarded companies for moving jobs overseas.
1
Trump is Attacking Our Health Care
Trump promised voters he’d make sure everyone had great health care. He’s spent his entire presidency trying to take away coverage and protections from millions.
Trump’s Broken Promise
“I'm asking for your vote so we can...save health care for every family in Wisconsin and for every family in our country.”
—Donald Trump in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, November 1, 2016
The Reality
Trump launched an all-out attack on our health care by trying to repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
2
Corporate Profits Are Sky High. Wisconsin Wages Remain Flat.
In Trump’s economy, corporate profits are skyrocketing while Wisconsin families struggle to get by.
Trump’s Broken Promise
"I will be the greatest jobs President that God ever created...our poorer citizens will get new jobs and higher pay and new hope for their life."
—Donald Trump, October 5, 2016
The Reality
Trump’s economic policies are delivering huge giveaways to the wealthy at the expense of Wisconsin families.
Blocking a Minimum Wage Increase
Trump said he would veto an increase in the federal minimum wage, which would have given a raise to nearly 40 million people nationwide.
3
Trump’s Tax Scam: The Rich Win. Wisconsin Families Lose.
Congressional Republicans passed their tax bill that was supposed to benefit the middle class. Instead, billionaires and large corporations raked in a massive windfall while most Wisconsinites barely saw any increase in their paychecks, or even got a tax hike.
Trump’s Broken Promise
"I am going to give a massive tax cut to every worker and small business in this country."
—Donald Trump in West Bend, Wisconsin, August 17, 2016
The Reality
Most of Trump’s $2 trillion tax cut goes to corporations and the rich. Many Wisconsin families are getting stuck with the bill.
4
Trump's Trade-War-By-Tweet is Wreaking Havoc on Wisconsin Farmers.
Trump promised to stand up for Wisconsin farmers, but he has only made all the challenges they were facing worse. He sided with big agricultural monopolies that have been squeezing small farms, and has dismissed the harm being done to them through his erratic trade policies.
Trump's Broken Promise
“We’re going to take care of our dairy farmers in Wisconsin…you better believe it.”
—Donald Trump, April 25, 2017
The Reality
- In 2018, Wisconsin lost nearly 700 dairy farms. That’s almost two per day.
- Wisconsin authorities and dairy cooperatives have initiated programs to combat depression and desperation amongst state farmers with milk prices reaching extremely low levels.
- A 55-cow dairy farm in Wisconsin would receive a one-time payment of $725 from Trump’s farm bailout program but stood to lose between $36,000 and $48,000 in income last year, according to the Wisconsin Farmers Union.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff relief aid for farmers is enriching multinational corporations like JBS, a Brazilian company that received more than $62 million in government contracts and bailouts while the company raked in $273 million in profits in the first quarter of 2019.
5
Student debt is skyrocketing under Trump
Despite Trump’s promise to solve the student loan crisis, student debt continues to pile up at historic rates.
Trump's Broken Promise
"In a Trump administration ... we will lower the cost of college and solve the student loan crisis. It’s a crisis. Very unfair."
—Donald Trump, October 13, 2016
The Reality
- In 2019, 44 million people nationwide owe $1.56 trillion in student loan debt.
- 321,600 people in Wisconsin owe more than $20,000 in student loans, which is 45.5% of all borrowers, and 37.9% are over the age of 35.
- Despite Trump’s promises to fix it, the Trump administration has made things harder, and actually tried to cap the amount of loans borrowers can take out, and shrink the number of repayment plans available to them.
